24. Once we become adults, can we never return to being children again? (Please keep reading!)

"Sakura, I've left your clothes here."

"Mm, thank you."

Her lively voice carried through the frosted glass door of the bathroom. The boy placed the clothes atop the washing machine, paid no heed to the sound of running water inside, and left the washroom, returning to his bedroom on the second floor.

He sat before his desk, books spread open, but not a single word would settle in his mind. Instead, he gazed out upon the street scene beyond his window for a while, then drew the curtains closed and sprawled across his bed, shutting his eyes to rest.

Earlier, his mother had sent a message—she most likely wouldn’t be coming home tonight.

And Sakura Yukino was unable to return home as well, having forgotten her key.

So tonight, only Tsukimi Jinguuji and Sakura Yukino would be in this house.

If they were truly just ordinary childhood friends, perhaps it wouldn’t be so troubling.

But this was a secret belonging only to them, one they could never speak of to anyone.

With eyes closed, the boy let out a long breath and refused to dwell further on it.

Even though he’d done nothing all day, having to deal with both Hoshino Morino and Sakura Yukino during daylight hours left him feeling weary.

Perhaps under the influence of Hoshino Morino, Sakura Yukino’s state of mind had indeed shifted a little compared to before.

And the thought that Sakura Yukino, changed as she was, remained downstairs only made his headache worse, so he emptied his mind altogether.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when footsteps sounded on the stairs, and the girl’s voice called from outside the room.

"Tsuki, I’m done washing up—it’s your turn."

"...Tsuki?"

Sakura Yukino pushed open the half-closed door and saw the boy lying carelessly across the bed. She tiptoed over and found that Tsukimi Jinguuji had already fallen asleep.

She crouched by the bed, gazing at her childhood friend’s face for a long while, then whispered,

"Hey~~~ Luna~~~"

His eyelashes, delicate as a girl’s, trembled slightly, his breathing even and quiet, showing no sign of waking.

Sakura Yukino pouted a little, unable to resist poking his cheek with her finger, much like a mischievous child burying her hand into a bin of rice at the supermarket, delighting in the game.

Soon, his eyelids fluttered; the first thing he saw upon waking was the energetic face of his childhood friend.

"Good morning," she said with a smile.

Tsukimi Jinguuji shook his head, slowly sat up, and glanced at his phone—ten thirteen in the evening.

He yawned and asked, "Why aren’t you asleep yet?"

"Where would I sleep?"

"The living room floor, or the sofa."

Sakura Yukino’s eyes widened in disbelief, her face full of astonishment. "You want me to sleep in the living room?"

"I'm joking. If my mom found out I made you sleep in the living room, she’d skin me alive."

"Hmph!"

Tsukimi Jinguuji patted the bed beneath him. "Sleep here."

"And you?"

He patted the bed again. "I’ll sleep here too."

Sakura Yukino was momentarily stunned, then her cheeks flushed a deep red, warm vapor seeming to rise from her skin. It must be because she’d just showered, she thought.

"No, no, no... That’s not really okay," Sakura Yukino stammered.

"Idiot, of course it’s not. Can’t you tell I’m joking?"

"......"

Sakura Yukino stood up and, without hesitation, kicked at Tsukimi Jinguuji, who dodged with ease.

She stood fuming, her petite face now puffed up with indignation.

"I hate you."

"Do you really?"

"...Not really," she muttered.

He knew it.

Surely, this was what made Sakura Yukino so endearing.

She could be capricious, mischievous, even lie now and then, but she never wanted Tsukimi Jinguuji to dislike her.

All she wished was for him to turn back and look at her a little more—nothing else.

"It’s fine. The living room’s comfortable enough in this weather," Tsukimi Jinguuji said.

"Mm... What about your old room?"

"There’s nothing left in there, and it hasn’t been cleaned in ages."

"Oh."

"I’m off to shower, then."

He reached for his pajamas in the closet, preparing to leave, when the girl tugged at his shirt hem.

Tsukimi Jinguuji glanced at her hand in confusion.

"Sleeping together... isn’t out of the question," she said softly.

This time, Tsukimi Jinguuji was dumbfounded, staring at the blushing childhood friend, uncertain what to say.

He only now realized Sakura Yukino was wearing his T-shirt; the length was enough to cover her thighs, and she hadn’t put on any pants. Unlike her tanned calves, the skin near her thighs was strikingly fair.

Sakura Yukino gripped her shirt hem with one hand, hesitating for a long while.

"When we were little, didn’t we always sleep together?"

"You said it yourself—that was when we were kids. Now we’re high schoolers, and soon enough we’ll be adults."

"Once we’re adults, can’t we go back to being kids again?"

Of course not.

Tsukimi Jinguuji was about to say so, but when he glimpsed the melancholy in her eyes, he softened his words.

"I suppose... it’s quite difficult."

Not difficult—impossible.

"I really don’t want to grow up," she murmured.

Tsukimi Jinguuji said nothing, standing as motionless as the statue of Hachiko at Shibuya Station.

Gradually, Sakura Yukino loosened her grip on his shirt.

"Forget it, go shower."

"...Okay."

"And you’re not allowed to drink my bathwater."

"I wouldn’t dream of it."

...

...

Soaking in the bathtub, the boy’s mind would not let go of what Sakura Yukino had said. His gift for perfect recall meant the memory of her asking to sleep together replayed endlessly in his head.

He submerged his entire face under the water, bubbles bursting at the surface, and when he could no longer hold his breath, he shot up, spitting out water.

He dried himself, changed into pajamas, and blow-dried his hair.

Returning to the living room, he pressed the switch on the wall, plunging the room into darkness.

By the faint moonlight filtering in through the window, Tsukimi Jinguuji approached the sofa, about to lie down, when he saw a shadow curled up there.

"What are you doing?"

"Sleeping," came the girl’s muffled reply from under a blanket, her voice warm and inviting sleep.

Tsukimi Jinguuji sighed. Sakura Yukino lifted the blanket slightly, revealing her dazzling eyes as she watched him cautiously.

"Don’t hate me," she said.

"I don’t hate you."

"Don’t lecture me."

"I’m not that bored."

"Don’t send me away."

Tsukimi Jinguuji took a deep breath, looking carefully into Sakura Yukino’s anxious gaze, as if making a decision in his heart.

"Come on," he said.

"Where?" she whispered.

"Back to the bedroom."

"Together?"

"Together."

She immediately broke into a joyful smile, then quickly tried to restrain it, huffing, "But I don’t want to share a bed with you."

"Idiot, I’ll sleep on the floor."

"Oh... I see."

"Mm-hmm."

"Will you tell me a story?"

"When did you get into the habit of listening to bedtime stories?"

She pondered for a moment, then smiled at him.

"Tonight."